The U.S. Senate agreed early Friday to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a 42-day impasse over immigration enforcement in the U.S. Congress, which has severely affected airport security operations.
Senators approved the bill at 2:20 a.m. EST by voice vote following a marathon session.
The legislation will fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
Since the funding lapse on Feb. 13, agencies affected under DHS include the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and most stringently, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The agreement comes after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday evening, announcing that he would sign an executive order instructing newly appointed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA officers “in order to address this Emergency Situation.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) proposed the measure to pass most of the DHS funding after both parties agreed to advance.
“We could be standing here now passing a funding bill with a list of reforms, if Democrats had made the smallest effort to actually reach an agreement,” he said. “But they didn’t.”
The Senate worked overnight to reach an agreement to fund DHS as they sought to pass the bill before leaving Capitol Hill for a two-week Easter recess.
The funding package now awaits a House vote, expected as soon as Mar. 27.
“We will have other options to get the rest of it done,” Sen. Thune said, referencing other measures to pass immigration enforcement funding. He affirmed that Democrats had lost their chance to get reforms to enforcement practices written into law.
“That ship has sailed, and they kind of kissed that opportunity goodbye.”
The funding bill will finally ease the troubles affecting airline travel, as more than 480 TSA officers have quit since the partial government shutdown, leading to extensive wait times in security checkpoints.
John Thune passed a bill in the dead of night by voice vote – no record of who was there, no roll call,, no accountability. Thune caved to a demand democrats made on day one of a 41 day shutdown, settled for their opening offer and then flew off for vacation.
Democrats now have the template and know republicons will fold at 3am – complete surrender.
Not that it matters but will be writing/emailing my Senators to demand Thune be ousted, vacate the chair, whatever the term is. Republicons now own this, not the democrats and the 2026 primary is the last election I will be voting as a registered republican – Independent here I come.